Laughing Inspires Creativity

I was having a rough week. Until a certain book came in the mail. Now, this book is ludicrous. It’s sole purpose was to make me laugh. And suddenly, after having a couple of chuckles with this book, I found my work easier. The ideas flowed readily. I was getting people’s buy-in to ideas. I was being productive. It got me thinking.

So many artists and creative types claim to require a depressed state in order to create their best work. (Think Vincent Van Gogh.) And yet, I find that the best creatives that I’ve worked with have one thing in common – they laugh. A lot. They find the joy in life’s nuances. They find humour in things that would piss most people off. And they spread the laughter. They tell funny stories about their awkward social experiences. They send hilarious links around the office. They make you laugh.

Basic biology would indicate that laughter releases Endorphins. Endorphins are neurotransmitters produced in the brain that reduce pain and have also been known to induce euphoria. Drugs such as morphine, heroine and cocain are classic endorphin-releasing entities. So, really, laughing is a cheap way of getting high. But I digress. Laughter doesn’t inspire creativity because it makes you high like a rock star. Laughter puts you in a positive and relaxed state. It keeps you positive and optimistic. All of these things are important in order to generate and recognize creative thoughts.

So the next time you are facing a creative roadblock, go find something that makes you laugh. It could be the talking to that friend who always gets into awkward social shenannigans. It could be an awesome movie about an Anchorman navigating the 70s. It could be watching a gorilla play the drums. Then have a chuckle, and bang out some awesome ideas.

- Christian

*I would like to apologize to my fellow Idea Drunks for going dark last week. Work has been keeping me so busy that I have barely had time to think. This is ironic, considering that I work in an industry where our main product is supposed to be “ideas” … which require some thinking to generate. But whatever. I’m back with a renewed commitment to Idea Drunk. And drinking.